Improvement of the Photoelectrochemical Stability of Cu2O Photocathode by PhCCCu Grafting
Abstract As one of the most efficient photocathodes, Cu2O has attracted substantial attention because of its theoretically high solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) efficiency. However, its applications in photoelectrochemical (PEC) fields are severely restricted by the poor stability derived from serious photoc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley-VCH
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Advanced Materials Interfaces |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202201380 |
| _version_ | 1797730902019670016 |
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| author | Wen Zhang Yadi Bai Meng Tian Ya‐Ge Liu Jiawei Hou Chengbo Li Hai‐Ying Jiang Junwang Tang |
| author_facet | Wen Zhang Yadi Bai Meng Tian Ya‐Ge Liu Jiawei Hou Chengbo Li Hai‐Ying Jiang Junwang Tang |
| author_sort | Wen Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract As one of the most efficient photocathodes, Cu2O has attracted substantial attention because of its theoretically high solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) efficiency. However, its applications in photoelectrochemical (PEC) fields are severely restricted by the poor stability derived from serious photocorrosion. In this work, high‐quality phenylethynyl copper (PhCCCu) are successfully self‐assembled on the surface of Cu2O photocathode by a novel photothermal method to improve its photostability. With the protection of the PhCCCu layer, 85% of the initial photocurrent density can be remained, while only 28% of initial photocurrent density is left on bare Cu2O photocathode prepared on a copper foam (CF) substrate. The significantly improved photostability of Cu2O photocathode by the PhCCCu protective layer is attributed to its strong hydrophobicity, which can efficiently inhibit the corrosion of Cu2O by the aqueous electrolyte solution due to its special crystal structure. Based on the obtained PhCCCu/Cu2O photocathode, a two‐photoelectrode cell with excellent stability (>5 h) has also been successfully constructed for water splitting without the need of an electric bias. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T11:50:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bf46780047fd4d079f63b2c0b4151c67 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2196-7350 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T11:50:55Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley-VCH |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advanced Materials Interfaces |
| spelling | doaj.art-bf46780047fd4d079f63b2c0b4151c672023-08-31T08:56:33ZengWiley-VCHAdvanced Materials Interfaces2196-73502023-01-01103n/an/a10.1002/admi.202201380Improvement of the Photoelectrochemical Stability of Cu2O Photocathode by PhCCCu GraftingWen Zhang0Yadi Bai1Meng Tian2Ya‐Ge Liu3Jiawei Hou4Chengbo Li5Hai‐Ying Jiang6Junwang Tang7Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education The Energy and Catalysis Hub College of Chemistry and Materials Science Northwest University Xi'an 710127 P. R. ChinaKey Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education The Energy and Catalysis Hub College of Chemistry and Materials Science Northwest University Xi'an 710127 P. R. ChinaKey Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education The Energy and Catalysis Hub College of Chemistry and Materials Science Northwest University Xi'an 710127 P. R. ChinaKey Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education The Energy and Catalysis Hub College of Chemistry and Materials Science Northwest University Xi'an 710127 P. R. ChinaKey Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education The Energy and Catalysis Hub College of Chemistry and Materials Science Northwest University Xi'an 710127 P. R. ChinaKey Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education The Energy and Catalysis Hub College of Chemistry and Materials Science Northwest University Xi'an 710127 P. R. ChinaKey Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education The Energy and Catalysis Hub College of Chemistry and Materials Science Northwest University Xi'an 710127 P. R. ChinaDepartment of Chemical Engineering University College London Torrington Place London WC1E 7JE UKAbstract As one of the most efficient photocathodes, Cu2O has attracted substantial attention because of its theoretically high solar‐to‐hydrogen (STH) efficiency. However, its applications in photoelectrochemical (PEC) fields are severely restricted by the poor stability derived from serious photocorrosion. In this work, high‐quality phenylethynyl copper (PhCCCu) are successfully self‐assembled on the surface of Cu2O photocathode by a novel photothermal method to improve its photostability. With the protection of the PhCCCu layer, 85% of the initial photocurrent density can be remained, while only 28% of initial photocurrent density is left on bare Cu2O photocathode prepared on a copper foam (CF) substrate. The significantly improved photostability of Cu2O photocathode by the PhCCCu protective layer is attributed to its strong hydrophobicity, which can efficiently inhibit the corrosion of Cu2O by the aqueous electrolyte solution due to its special crystal structure. Based on the obtained PhCCCu/Cu2O photocathode, a two‐photoelectrode cell with excellent stability (>5 h) has also been successfully constructed for water splitting without the need of an electric bias.https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202201380Cu 2O photocathodehydrophobicityphenylethynyl copper protective layerphotostabilitytwo photoelectrode cell |
| spellingShingle | Wen Zhang Yadi Bai Meng Tian Ya‐Ge Liu Jiawei Hou Chengbo Li Hai‐Ying Jiang Junwang Tang Improvement of the Photoelectrochemical Stability of Cu2O Photocathode by PhCCCu Grafting Advanced Materials Interfaces Cu 2O photocathode hydrophobicity phenylethynyl copper protective layer photostability two photoelectrode cell |
| title | Improvement of the Photoelectrochemical Stability of Cu2O Photocathode by PhCCCu Grafting |
| title_full | Improvement of the Photoelectrochemical Stability of Cu2O Photocathode by PhCCCu Grafting |
| title_fullStr | Improvement of the Photoelectrochemical Stability of Cu2O Photocathode by PhCCCu Grafting |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improvement of the Photoelectrochemical Stability of Cu2O Photocathode by PhCCCu Grafting |
| title_short | Improvement of the Photoelectrochemical Stability of Cu2O Photocathode by PhCCCu Grafting |
| title_sort | improvement of the photoelectrochemical stability of cu2o photocathode by phcccu grafting |
| topic | Cu 2O photocathode hydrophobicity phenylethynyl copper protective layer photostability two photoelectrode cell |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202201380 |
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